************************************************** ******************
This Message Is Reprinted Under The FAIR USE
Doctrine Of International Copyright Law:
_http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html_
(http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html)
************************************************** ******************
FROM: THE ALBANY TIMES-UNION NEWSPAPER

Some want amateur archaeologists to halt work on Rogers Island, historic
birthplace of Army Rangers
By CHRIS CAROLA, Associated Press
First published: Tuesday, June 6, 2006

JoAnne Fuller unearths a skeleton on Rogers Island, which she believes dates
back to the French and Indian War. (Jim McKnight / AP)

_Burial site dig yields skeletons, controversy_
(http://timesunion.com/AspStories/sto...&newsdate=6/6/
2006)
Some want amateur archaeologists to halt work on Rogers Island, historic
birthplace of Army Rangers
FORT EDWARD -- Two amateur archaeologists have unearthed human skeletons,
believed to be about 250 years old, at a burial site on the Hudson River island
that's considered the birthplace of today's U.S. Army Rangers.

(http://ads.timesunion.com/RealMedia/.../134122431278/
1801745534/x10/TimesU/DePaulachevroletHummer2006/042706depaula180x150.html/343
03063373430613434326435363730?http://www.timesunion.com/ads/onepage/depaula/20
06archive/042806.asp) Richard and JoAnne Fuller said it is very likely the
remains found on private property date back to the French and Indian War, when
Rogers' Rangers earned a place in American military lore while operating out
of Fort Edward. The couple said the skeletons appear to be buried in an
unmarked cemetery that doesn't appear on any colonial or contemporary maps. No
other cemeteries are known to have existed on the island over the past 200
years.
"Everyone knows there's something on Rogers Island. Nobody knew where the
cemetery was," said Richard Fuller.
He said buttons found among the bones could give clues to whether the
remains are those of some of the 15,000 soldiers and civilians who lived there in
the late 1750s, when Fort Edward was the largest British military outpost in
North America. It was also the base of operations for the guerrilla fighters
known as Rogers' Rangers.
There are concerns that the Fullers' activities could jeopardize what one
archaeologist called "quite a significant discovery."
"You don't just rush out there and start digging because you think it's
interesting," said David Starbuck, who spent more than a decade conducting
extensive excavations on Rogers Island and at nearby sites but didn't uncover any
cemeteries. "It's important to proceed very cautiously."
While he and his wife aren't professional archaeologists, Richard Fuller
said they're "well-versed in archaeology techniques" from their previous work
with an Albany-area archaeological firm.
There are no plans to give professional archaeologists access to the site,
although Richard Fuller said he has talked with an anthropologist about having
the skeletons analyzed and studied.
Their work at the site is being questioned by some local officials who have
been at odds with the couple over development plans for the island.
"It's certainly a major concern," said Town of Fort Edward Supervisor
Merrilyn Pulver, adding that "all digging should cease immediately."
Most of Rogers Island, named for French and Indian War hero Maj. Robert
Rogers, is private land owned by Frank Nastasi, a retired Long Island
construction executive. He owns 33 acres on the 42-acre island, including the site where
the skeletons were found. Nastasi is a fellow French and Indian War buff and
Rogers' Rangers aficionado, said Richard Fuller, who works for Nastasi as
caretaker of the Rogers Island property.
Nastasi has abandoned plans to build a marina and hotel on the island and is
instead considering building a park dedicated to Rogers and the Rangers, or
selling the site to New York state.
It was on the island, in 1757, that Rogers wrote his "Rules of Ranging," a
manual on guerrilla warfare that became a blueprint for modern Army Ranger
fighting tactics. His original 28 rules have been boiled down over the years
into the 19 "Standing Orders" taught to today's Army commandos.

Fuller said he discovered the first skeleton late last fall while
looking for other artifacts, and reported the find to local police. Village Police
Chief Walter Sandford said the county coroner's office determined the remains
were of a historical nature and not from a recent crime.
In one of the uncovered graves, a full skeleton lay on its back, its hands
folded on its pelvis. The skull, which contained a full set of teeth, was
caved in on the left side. Other partial skeletons were lined up in 18-inch-deep
plots nearby, with another set off a few feet away. JoAnne Fuller has given
the remains names such as Caleb and Sammy, taken from the actual colonial
militia rosters the Fullers have among the extensive French and Indian War
collection that fills their nearby home in Washington County.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

One of the reasons I will always have a problem with these people... they make me sick! Why anyone would descrate a grave in pursuit of "science" is beyond me... apparently religious freedoms and burial rights don't mean a thing when "science" gets involved!

One of the reasons I will always have a problem with these people... they make me sick! Why anyone would descrate a grave in pursuit of "science" is beyond me... apparently religious freedoms and burial rights don't mean a thing when "science" gets involved!

Paselo

Funny thing is its a matter of timing and location as long as it really old and not at a church you can dig to your hearts content...